Service Manual

Provisioning and Extensibility Overview of Dell VIS Self-Service Creator
Page 5
Table 1: Sample Custom Properties
Custom Property Name
Description
VirtualMachine.Admin.Name
Name of the machine as generated by VIS Self-Service Creator.
VirtualMachine.Admin.Owner
Username of the machine’s owner.
VirtualMachine.Admin.Hostname
Name of the host on which the machine resides.
VirtualMachine.Memory.Size
Size of the machine's memory in MB.
VirtualMachine.Storage.Name
Storage path the machine is on.
VirtualMachine.CPU.Count
Number of CPUs allocated to a machine.
VirtualMachine.Network0.MacAddress
MAC address of network device N.
VirtualMachine.Network0.Name
Name of network to which network device N in machine is
attached.
RESTful API
For advanced integration with business process management systems, existing corporate portals, or
other systems, the VIS Self-Service Creator RESTful API provides a common method of communication.
Services available through the RESTful API include workload requests, workload controls (power on,
power off, etc), and reporting information. The RESTful APIs are integrated with a robust security
framework to control access. Due to the advanced nature of the RESTful API, an engagement with Dell
Services is recommended to achieve optimal integration.
Custom Workflows
At its core, VIS Self-Service Creator is a powerful workflow engine based on Microsoft Windows
Workflow Foundations. Working with Dell Services, customers can create powerful new workflows and
models within VIS Self-Service Creator. This advanced integration and customization provides virtually
limitless opportunities to customize VIS Self-Service Creator to work with your existing environment
and business processes. To integrate custom workflows, an engagement with Dell Services is required.
The scripting framework, RESTful API, and Customer Workflows can be utilized in various steps of the
workflow. For the remainder of this whitepaper, we will discuss each step of the workload lifecycle in
detail and explain potential customization options to meet your business needs.
Request Workflow
The workload lifecycle starts with the request. Out-of-the-box, VIS Self-Service Creator offers a rich
web-based user portal for authorized users. The portal allows users to request workloads from an
administrator defined catalog. This provides the administrator the ability to grant access to the right
workloads to the right users.
Provisioning groups are the VIS Self-Service Creator concept of grouping users within your organization.
Users can be members of one or more provisioning groups. For instance, your sales team may need to
be part of the sales provisioning group, but not part of your development provisioning group.
Provisioning group membership is defined and controlled by Active Directory groups and user accounts.
Custom integration with external LDAP services is also available.